Diane Keaton Admits She Was ‘Terrified’ When She Got Her Role In ‘The Godfather’

Diane Keaton has been looking back on her career, which has spanned over five decades. During a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the 77-year-old revealed that her being cast in the role of Kay Adams-Corleone in 1972’s The Godfather, made her apprehensive as she felt she was not the best fit.

“I was terrified. I didn’t understand why me. I mean, I went up to the audition,” the actress reflected, “and I hadn’t read it. See, this is bad! but I needed a job, so I got up there. I’d been auditioning around for about a year, and then this happened like that.”

Diane Keaton says she was terrified by the thought of acting in ‘The Godfather’

Keaton claimed that she was hesitant about accepting the role in The Godfather — which she would reprise in 1974’s The Godfather Part II and 1990’s The Godfather Part III — as she felt that she identified more as a comedic actor. The actress revealed that she questions her abilities whenever she works alongside exceptional and talented actors. She also acknowledged that she experiences anxiety at the start of each project, despite her past successes. “How will this match that …? Can I do …?” Keaton said of her thoughts. “What am I …? Oh, dear.”

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She continues, “And I kept thinking, ‘Why me? Why would he cast me?’ I didn’t understand it. I still don’t, really.”

Diane Keaton Speaks about working with Director Francis Coppola

The actress also spoke about her relationship with director Francis Ford Coppola and how he guided her all through the project. “I never really had a palsy friendship with our director. He was nice,” Keaton said. “When he was working, if he didn’t like something, he’d tell me, ‘Try this.’ That was it! It wasn’t what I thought it would be. I thought, ‘Oh, my God, I’m trouble. I shouldn’t be here.'”

Keaton explained that ever since her time on the set of The Godfather, she realized that the worries she feels at the beginning of a new project were just a part of her creative process, and whether it leaves or not, she has accepted it as part of her normal routine.

Diane Keaton details her work relationship over the years

Keaton also revealed that she has had the opportunity to work with some highly talented actors over the course of her career. She mentioned that she always felt somewhat anxious and concerned while working on the set of The First Wives Club with Goldie Hawn and Bette Midler. “Because they are really amazing actresses! You know, I didn’t really know them. But that changed over time — like life does,” Keaton said. “I was very fortunate, and it was great to watch them work. because they both work differently from each other, and I worked my own odd way. Not that theirs is odd. Mine is odd.”

The 77-year-old also praised her costars from the upcoming movie Book Club: The Next Chapter, in which she is reprising her role alongside Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen, and Mary Steenburgen from the 2018 film, Book Club. “Mary Steenburgen is the kindest mother of them all. She’s really a great actress, and she’s so there for everyone. You just lay eyes on her, and you feel like you’re being helped,” Keaton explained. “And then, of course, there’s Jane, who is always Jane. What life is that like? She’s brilliant, and she’s had this brilliant life, and she continues on. Then there is Candice, who is by far the funniest. She is a character among all of us, hilarious and straightforward.”